Have you ever wondered just how many renewable energy projects across the United States have been stalled due to permitting challenges and local landowner opposition?  Well, I’ve recently stumbled upon the wonderful “Project No Project” initiative put together by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce which attempts to answer that very question.

Per the site: “Project No Project assesses the broad range of energy projects that are being stalled, stopped, or outright killed nationwide due to ‘Not In My Back Yard’ (NIMBY) activism, a broken permitting process and a system that allows limitless challenges by opponents of development.”

The database tracks both renewable and traditional coal, gas and nuclear projects, which leads to some interesting opportunities for comparisons.  For example, would you like to hear one of the most shocking statements that you’ll come across all day?  According to the Chambers database, it is just as difficult to build a renewable energy project in the U.S. as it is to build a coal-fired power plant.  Just under half of the challenged projects the database tracks are renewable energy projects.

This groundbreaking initiative raises plenty of issues that I plan to discuss over the coming days, but for now, I highly recommend checking out the Project No Project website.  It’s well worth the time.